The Less Honored Ones
by FatefulDestiny
Summary: Each day in the war, clones sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Some are remembered, others not. What about them? This will include their death told in their perspective along with a small backstory for them. Rated T because I'm not sure about how I will continue this.
1. Captain Keeli

**Hullo! Alyss here. This idea has been on my mind for quite a while. I know a lot of authors have done fan fictions on clone deaths before, but I haven't seen any on Captain Keeli before. Since I'm not going to be able to do much this summer as I'm recovering from a soccer injury, I decided to take up writing. This is my first fan fiction, so it may not be the best, but I will improve down the line. I started this off in the beginning of Supply Lines, as I wanted to introduce some things before the final stand where he dies. I added OC clone names into the story to give the battalion more depth and added a slight backstory as well.**

 **Enjoy!**

Captain Keeli

"Captain! The Separatists have overrun our position. We ne-" The communication cut off.

Dread filled Keeli's body. The panicked shout that resonated from his private comm came from the right flank of the defense that had been set up. It had been comprised of clones and Twi'leks alike. Now they were all dead.

His thoughts raced quickly as he ran to the makeshift command center. Without the aid of the right flank, the Separatist army could be on top of them in mere hours.

Spotting the Nikto general, he shifted his course and half-skidded to a stop. Alongside the General were a blue-skinned Twi'lek and an orange-skinned Twi'lek, whose name was Cham Syndulla: the leader of the resistance on Ryloth. Feeling breathless, Keeli reported as General Di turned to him,

"General Di, the right flank has collapsed."

Surprise lit the general's face as he heard the report, knowing exactly what it meant for the Twi'leks.

"The droids will be closing in on our position," Keeli finished, taking a moment to glance at Syndulla, who looked angry, but not by the news. No, something else.

General Di opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Syndulla.

"What about reinforcements?" he asked, circling his mount around the small group.

General Di looked resigned as if he had explained the fact to the Twi'lek many times already.

"Communication have been spotty," he began, "I promise you, Cham, the Republic will not abandon Ryloth."

Keeli winced internally. Many rotations ago, too many to count now, they had contacted the Republic fleet for help, reinforcement, and supplies, but there had been none. The battalion was stretched down to its last members, and the supplies were all but gone.

Cham apparently felt the same way, for he threw up his hands and responded,

"I've heard enough of your promises Jedi! The fact remains, if we stay here without reinforcements, we're _all_ going to die."

As Keeli and General Di turned to gaze at Syndulla, who had completed one lap around the group and started again, he continued; this time talking to his blue-skinned companion.

"Gobi, tell the people we're leaving."

Gobi bowed his head, "Yes, sir."

Exasperation exploded through Keeli's mind. Couldn't Syndulla understand what he _just_ said? They couldn't leave. The Separatist forces had them surrounded. He opened his mouth and retaliated,

"I don't think you understand. The right flank has collapsed. There's no leaving."

Keeli waved his arm around at the clearing indicating what he meant.

"We're stuck here together," he finished, clenching his fist.

Cham only huffed, and rode his mount away from the group, his back stiff.

Keeli glanced at General Di, who was watching the retreating figure with narrowed eyes. Turning back to the captain, he only shrugged and shook his head.

Gobi was looking uncomfortable. He, too, knew what was at stake, but couldn't argue with Syndulla.

General Di motioned with his hand to Keeli, and he followed, listening intently to his general.

"Captain, how long do we have until the Separatists reach us?" The Nikto general finally asked when they were out of hearing range of everyone else.

"Two, three hours at the most, sir." Keeli responded, "What will we do, sir?"

General Di gazed at the captain before responding.

"We can't let the Twi'leks die. As much as I don't wish to say it, Syndulla is right in a way. The Republic isn't responding, and now that the fleet has been destroyed, there is little hope. And he knows it. We need to give them as much time as we can to escape. For they may be able to free Ryloth one day."

"I understand, General. Do you want me to prepare the gunship?" Keeli inquired, knowing that it wouldn't hold everyone, but asking for their sake.

"Indeed, Captain. It may just be their only hope."

Keeli saluted, then walked away from the general, who had now stopped. He was gazing at the sheer cliffs that surrounded the clearing.

Walking briskly to the command center, he spotted the remaining pilot from the battalion and called to him,

"Jax, come with me."

The pilot nodded once, then jogged to fall into step with Keeli.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Can you ready the remaining gunship for evac?

Jax paused, looking confused.

"With all due respect, Captain, the gunship won't be able to carry all of the Twi'leks, not to mention us as well."

Keeli sighed, knowing he was right.

"I know, Jax. But it will reassure Cham that at least we're trying to help. He feels as if the Republic has betrayed him."

Jax nodded his understanding.

"I understand Captain. I'll take Wedge and fix it up."

He jogged away to the gunship, motioning to Wedge to follow him. Keeli watched him go, knowing it was a waste of time.

He checked his chrono in his HUD. At least one more hour until the Separatist overran their position.

With a sigh, Keeli removed his helmet and wiped his damp brow. Even though they were in the one inhabitable sector of the planet, it still didn't stop the intense heat from affecting everyone.

Shouts distracted him. He looked up quickly to see Syndulla commanding his people to start moving. Clenching his teeth, he marched quickly back to where he was sitting, noticing General Di doing the same.

As Keeli passed the gunship, he saw Jax and Wedge clamber out of the cockpit. Jax gave him a thumbs-up, signaling that the gunship was prepared. Nodding in his direction, he continued his bee-line towards Cham and arrived at the same time as the general.

The general turned to him, "Captain, is the gunship ready?"

Keeli nodded, "Yes sir! But," he continued, "it's too small to evacuate the refugees." he finished, voicing the concern that he had been feeling, along with everyone else.

Cham had dismounted and was speaking quietly to Gobi while rubbing his chin. He looked up at Keeli as he finished, and asked, shocked,

"No escape?" he spread his hands, "But our families are with us!" Cham exclaimed.

Keeli's heart sank. The innocents had been drawn into this without a choice, and he knew they were suffering. Especially those who weren't fighting. One look at the general told him he was thinking the same thing.

The general scratched his neck, a plan forming,

"Ah," he began. "If we reconfigure the fuel system, we can turn the ship into a bomb big enough to collapse the path here," he stated slowly, taking a knee and drawing a diagram in the sandy ground.

Keeli quickly followed suit, taking a knee as well to study the plan more closely. The general had indicated here as the left pass in the cliffs as an _x_. He continued,

"The enemy will only be able to engage us on the one front in this ravine," he finished, drawing multiple _x's_ in the middle path.

Keeli studied it intently, his training kicking in. Calculating quickly, he estimated that they may be able to hold off the enemy for half an hour, tops. Even with a Jedi, they still heavily outnumbered them. But it was the only choice.

"While we provide cover," General Di looked up, "the Twi'leks will have time to escape with their families over the ravine."

Keeli felt a small sense of pride at this. General Di's plans had never failed before, and he believed that it would work, even at the cost of their lives. He nodded, commenting,

"Brilliant strategy, General," Keeli squared his shoulders, knowing what he had to do next, "I- I'll go tell the men," he sighed.

The group glanced at each other with sorrow as Keeli walked away, everyone knowing what the plan will cost.

Keeli jogged to the remaining men and called,

"Squad, form up!"

The men quickly lined up, training guiding their actions.

"General Di has ordered us to delay the enemy as long as possible while the Twi'leks escape over the mountains," he began, his voice threatening to choke.

Muttering broke out at this. Kelli allowed it for a moment, then cleared his throat, the muttering stopping at once.

"Longshot, Grainer. You two gather all the explosives we have and load them onto the gunship. We need to blow the left ravine to bottle the tinnies in the middle."

Both troopers nodded together and ran off towards the gunship. Keeli turned to the rest of the men.

"Ranger, Azdrake, Fiver, and Collin. Go help the Twi'leks load up the rest of the supplies."

As they ran off, he turned to the remaining men.

"The rest of you, ready your weapons. Any questions?"

No one answered, each gaze set with determination.

"At ease. I will let you know when the attack will begin,"

Kelli motioned to Balfur, the only other clone that had been in the battalion the longest besides himself. As Balfur reached his position, Keeli asked quietly,

"How long do you think we can hold them off? Be honest," Keeli added, wagging his finger.

Balfur sighed quietly,

"Honestly, 15 minutes at the max. We have maybe twenty men left if not less, and the Separatists far outnumber us."

"Thank you, Balfur." The clone nodded, and turned away. As he marched to grab his gear, Keeli called out to him.

"I'm sorry."

Balfur stopped in his tracks for a moment, then kept walking.

A lump in Keeli's throat, he walked over to the general as Jax ran off with orders to do who-knows-what.

"General, we're loading the rest of the explosives onto the gunship," he reported as the remaining Twi'leks ran around, grabbing last minute items.

The general nodded.

"Very good, Captain. Ready the men."

Keeli nodded, running off to the waiting clones.

He ordered, "All units, prepare for attack!"

Without saying anything, they all put on their helmets and ran off after Keeli, who had also donned his helmet, towards the entrance of the ravine.

As they left, General Di turned towards Gobi and could be heard saying, "We won't be able to hold off the droids for long. You'll have to move quickly to get your families out of danger.

Stopping the patrol at the entrance of the ravine, Keeli turned back as the remaining Twi'leks ran off, followed closely by Cham. As he watched, General Di ran up.

"Captain Keeli, tell the pilots to move the gunship into position."

Keeli nodded and activated his comlink as General Di walked away.

"This is command, are all the charges in place?"

Grainer answered first, as the whirring of the bombs being placed faded,

"Copy that, we're all ready. The droid army is closing," he responded.

Keeli closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.

"As soon as they are in range, blow up the gunship," Keeli ordered.

The comm cut off, Grainer understanding.

Keeli glanced around, searching for the rest of his men. Locating them halfway down the ravine, he jogged quickly to meet them.

He expected to feel nervous, scared at the prospect of his own death. But he felt nothing but determination, and loyalty.

Reaching the men, he pulled up beside General Di, who glanced at him, but said nothing.

Signaling to the men, Keeli got them into position and took up one himself behind a large cluster of rocks. Glancing beside him, he saw Balfur. Turning on a private comm in his helmet, he asked quietly,

"You ok, _vod_?"

Balfur answered quietly, betraying none of his emotions.

"As ok as one can be, Captain."

"Good man," I responded before closing off the comlink.

As I crouched there, an explosion shook the ground, and I glanced up to see rocks and shrapnel fly in the air. Without warning, two tick marks flashed in my HUD. Longshot and Grainer had been caught in the explosion.

Echoing thuds sounded as my throat closed up, and I closed my eyes, breathing slowly. Opening them when I trusted myself not to waver in my voice, I ignored the tick marks and listened closely. Resounding footsteps could be heard along with the whir of tanks.

The droids were closing in.

My fingers tightened around my DC-17s, and I drew them, taking calm breaths to steady myself.

General Di walked through the middle, addressing us all.

"Steady," he commanded, "Remember, we have to buy as much time for the Twi'leks as possible."

Jax nodded at this,

"Yes sir."

The rest of us stayed silent.

A moment passed, then the droids appeared. General Di ignited his lightsaber as they marched steadily towards us, programmed to do nothing but kill. He shouted as he pointed his lightsaber at them.

"For the Republic! For the Twi'leks!"

As one, we all surged from our hiding spots as he charged. Firing at once, we attacked the droids.

Keeli stood near the general, almost instantly ducking to avoid a blaster bolt that had been too close for comfort. As soon as the battle began, tick marks flashed in his HUD, but he ignored them. His only focus was the droids.

The droids rushed forwards, and adrenaline took over Keeli, washing over his instincts. As the droids rushed forwards, he took a step back, blasting one before another fell with another step.

A grunt sounded nearby, and Keeli turned quickly, only to see Balfur's body slump backwards against the rocks, dead. Anger surged through his body. Not only had Balfur been the most experience solider remaining, he had also been Keeli's remaining batch buddy. Now he was dead, and Keeli was the last of the Sigma Squad.

He pushed down the anger for a moment, but released it, aiming to destroy all the droids. The remaining clones rushed in, not far behind General Di, firing with all they had. Jax and Ranger were in front of Keeli, picking off one droid by one.

Crouching slightly to dodge the bullets, Keeli didn't notice the grenade thrown right in front of Ranger. Only when it exploded did he realize what had happened, flying backwards and hitting his head as his helmet flew off. The last thought he had was _oh kriff_ before blackness washed over his vision.

* * *

He was back in the flagship underneath Admiral Dao's command. His battalion had returned from the First Battle of Geonosis: battered, but living. Half of the battalion had been watched, and Captain Keeli felt each loss as his own fault.

Facing General Di, he formally introduced himself along with the survivors.

After what seemed like forever, he finished. Excusing himself, he turned to his quarters to rest but was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Looking up, he saw the Nikto general's face, blanketed by kindness, and heard words echoing to him over the screams of his men dying.

"Captain, their deaths weren't your fault."

He nodded dully, surprised that the general had correctly guessed his emotions. Then he shrugged mentally. The general was a Jedi, after all.

"I understand, General."

General Di opened his mouth to continue the conversation, but all that came out was blaster sounds.

* * *

Keeli woke with a start. He gazed around, his vision blurred. He could faintly see General Di in front of him charging at the droids.

Shaking his head to clear the blurriness, Keeli quickly grabbed his DC-17s, which had miraculously survived the now determined explosion, and rose to one knee.

Droids had surrounded the general, and their guns cocked. Duty took over, and Keeli squeezed off a shot, taking down a Super Battle Droid that was directly in front of General Di.

General Di turned around in shock.

"Captain Keeli!" he exclaimed, surprised he was alive.

Keeli set his mouth in a grim expression as Di backed up towards him and he rose in a crouch.

"I'm not finished yet, sir. We can do this, General!"

General Di grunted as the droids quickly surrounded the pair. As Keeli turned his back to protect their flank, the General responded,

"Well, let's make the end memorable!"

 _Indeed, General_. Keeli thought as he squeezed off round after round. Time seemed to slow down as a bolt slammed into his right arm. He grunted as he was pushed back, and before he could return fire, his vision faded as the following bolt slammed into his chest plate, killing him instantly.

Before he died, he thought,

 _May the Twi'leks live to fight another day._

* * *

Cham Syndulla stood there, a weight taken off his shoulders as he watched his people swarm the supples from the Republic. He knew without knowing that the remaining Republic troops on Ryloth had died.

All Cham wanted was for his people to be safe, and he realized now that he couldn't do it without the Republic. But alas, he was stubborn, and pushed away every attempt.

His people were strong, and they would live to see the end of the occupation. Cham knew it.

 **There you have it. I know the end was a bit sloppy, I need to work on concluding and tying everything together. I mimicked the last words of Ima-Gun-Di for Captain Keeli as I felt that they were so true. In the episode, I couldn't tell if the clones I dubbed Grainer and Longshot died or survived, so I just had them die. Heh. Anyways, if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the reviews along with who I should do next who isn't seen often. (Please only suggest from either animated series as I haven't yet delved into EU.) I can usually write a chapter every other day, so if y'all want this continued, I will be more than happy to oblige.**

 **Some ideas I have at the moment:**

 **Axe (From S1 E19 "Storm Over Ryloth"**

 **Tup**

 **Hardcase**

 **Commander Trauma (Probably would be a short chapter, as he is only shown briefly before being killed by Savage in S3 E13 "Monster")**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~May the Force be with you, always.**


	2. Axe

**Okay, this took a while**

* * *

"Okay, you boys ready?" Commander Tano's voice came through the internal comm. Stang, does she sound nervous, I thought. She's a Jedi, though. We shouldn't lose this battle, right?

"This is Two, Axe. Ready when you are, Skipper," I replied. Making final adjustments to my ship's controls, I settled more deeply in my seat and ran the last takeoff test. I took a deep breath. Even though Tano was a Jedi, it was still nerve-wracking to give control to someone who hasn't commanded before.

"Ready on Three. This is Slammer, over."

"Ready on Four. Kickback, checking in, over."

"Swoop to Blue Leader. Group Two is standing by, over."

When the plan was being discussed with the rest of Blue Squadron, it was decided that Swoop would command Group Two, which consisted of Jet, Ace, Sparrow, and Ink, and lead the initial attack with Commander Tano. Then myself, leading Tucker, Slammer, Kickback, and Blast would follow once she gave the command.

"Tucker on Five. Waiting for mother bird, over."

Even after countless battles, it was still reassuring to hear everyone's traditional callsigns. It was as if that would be the only thing that stays the same, no matter the losses. Surprisingly, many of Blue Squadron had survived the battles we had been through with only a loss here or there. The war was still young, though. **(*)**

I listened to the rest of Blue Squadron checking in as I began to move my ship forward and out of the plasma-sealed hanger. As the rest of the squadron pulled out, I heard Ink report in,

"Ready on Twelve. This is Ink, awaiting orders, over."

With that, the rest of the squadron pulled out of the hanger of the Resolute and into space. Although it was brief, I marveled at the vastness of space before settling into the battle mindset. Commander Tano's Delta-fighter flew in front of us, leading the v.

On an unspoken command, I dropped back with my group while Commander Tano went ahead with Group Two. I heard the click that signaled that she swapped to the main comm frequency as she ordered,

"Axe, keep your squadron back and wait for my signal."

"You've got it, Commander," I replied evenly.

I hated to be out of the action and having the other squadron fill in, but I knew that we would be crucial to wait and not let the droids know how many of us there were. Still, I wished I could do something.

 **(There's not much that can be explained here as Axe's squadron is too far away to see most of the battle)**

* * *

"We've got the droids occupied. Axe, time for us to make a run for the battleship," Ahsoka reported.

Finally.

"Come on, you whiners, let's get dirty," I called to the rest of the squadron. I couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride as we shot off towards the rest of the battle. These were my men, my responsibility. This is what we were bred to do.

As we reached the battle, I could see that it was turning in our favor. Although the droids slightly outnumbered us, we had the tactical advantage… as well as a Jedi with us.

My squadron spread out to present less of a target as we dove in towards the throng of droids. I felt myself go on autopilot as I singled out and destroyed vulture droids. I had done this so many times that it felt natural. The droids started thinning out, and Tano commanded over the comm,

"Blue Squadron, stay the course. We're going in."

"We're all set, Blue Leader," I replied.

Let's do this.

This is the point where battles turned for the worse or for the better. It turned for the worst.

Two more Separatist dreadnaughts dropped out of hyperspace as we beelined for the command ship. Swarms of vulture droids flew out to meet us, and we were almost instantly surrounded. Shab.

I could hear everyone calling out to each other, but I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying as I swerved left and right, trying to not get hit. The Separatists had laid a trap and we flew right into it, literally.

"Axe, are you still there? Come on, boys, stay in formation," Ahsoka asked with a hint of fear in her voice. Weren't Jedi supposed to be fearless?

"I've got two on my tail, I can't shake them," I reported, quelling the rising panic in my throat. I had just spotted two fighters on my tail, and despite my best job, I couldn't get rid of them or blast them.

"I can't help you Axe. I've got my own problem." Slammer responded. A quick glance down at my monitor showed Slammer's blip being chased by three Vulture droids. I pulled up sharply and flipped the fighter around, angling to come in behind the two droids and succeeded, the droid's programming carrying them straight past my ship.

Settling in behind them, I barely glanced at my targeting system before pulling the trigger and blowing the two to bits. Veering past the explosion, I scanned for Slammer to try and help him, but his blip had gone out on my monitor and HUD. Resisting the urge to slam my hand on the console in anger and grief, I shoved the feelings down and started scanning the battlefield for anyone who would need help.

Spotting Kickback in a tight situation, I angled my fighter towards his and started firing. One of the vulture droids chasing him pulled off and flew straight at me. Dodging to the side, I whipped around and fired before the droid could do the same and watched with satisfaction as it exploded. I glanced back at Kickback and saw that he had managed to get rid of the other one.

At least there was one that I could save today, I thought bitterly. Dimly, I could hear Commander Tano, General Skywalker, and Admiral Yularen in the background, but I didn't concentrate on what they were saying. Tano would let us know if anything was going to change.

As if on cue, Commander Tano swung back to the main group and addressed the entire squadron.

"Let's go, squad. Pull back to the command ship," Ahsoka ordered through the comlink, sounding resigned. She must have finished speaking with the Admiral and General.

"Why are we retreating?" I asked, confused.

"We're not retreating. We're following orders," Ahsoka elaborated.

I took note of her annoyed tone as the squad veered up and to the side to present less of a target. She didn't want to leave, but it finally got through to her that if we didn't pull back, all of us would lose our lives. I was loyal to the Commander, but I could still see the issues if we continued. I was relieved that we were pulling back. On the internal comlink between the squadron's helmets, I heard Ink comment dryly,

"Did she finally see the battle out here, or is it just me?"

"I know what you mean, but she's just a kid. She's still learning." I chidded, trying to defend the commander. Deep inside, though, I knew that Ink had a point. The commander was reckless and stubborn. That wasn't usually a good combination.

"Well, maybe if she learned to follow orders, more than half our squadron would still be here," Kickback offered, agitation being betrayed in his voice.

5 left? It hadn't even hit me that there were such few left. Checking my helmet's HUD, I noted that besides myself, only Kickback, Swoop, Ink, and Jet were left. I never saw when Ace, Sparrow, Blast, and Tucker died. The only death I somewhat witnessed was Slammer's when I had attempted to save him.

Even as Kickback said that, I saw Jet's fighter get hit by a vulture droid and explode. I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming out in grief and frustration.

I didn't bother to reprimand Kickback. He had voiced what we were all feeling, loyalty pushed aside. Besides, there was a bigger problem on the horizon: the swarm of vulture droids between us and the Resolute. Setting my comm back to the main scramble, I reported,

"More fighters coming in at marks point two and four."

Setting my focus on the task at hand, I checked my targeting scope and pulled the trigger. One, two, three vulture droids exploded as we fought our way through the wave, but I couldn't feel any elation for the shots made. Only grief. As we made a beeline towards the Resolute, I heard Admiral Yularen demand over the main comm,

"Fighter squadron, where are you?"

"Cool your jets, Admiral. We're almost there," Ahsoka snapped back.

I raised my eyebrow at her tone, but I didn't say anything as I concentrated on getting myself and the remains of my squadron back in one piece. Without saying a word, we all covered for each other as best we could. I kept a constant eye on the commander, but she seemed to be holding her own for the moment.

Commander Tano, Kickback, Slammer, and I continued on our path back to the Resolute. We had to continuously switch around and scramble so that the vulture droids in pursuit wouldn't get a lock on us.

"All fighters return. We're preparing for lightspeed," an officer reported.

"Uh, right. Axe, stand on it. We only have a few seconds to get on board," Ahsoka

"Don't worry about me, Skipper," I replied evenly.

I glanced at my console and saw, with relief, that Slammer and Kickback were still alive. They must be behind me and the commander, covering our rear. Okay, so three of Blue Squadron will survive today. That's better than none.

A warning beep from the sensors showed that a trio of vulture droids had gotten a lock on me. Just my luck. I swung my ship in a tight turn to throw off the targeting sensors and began

"Ah, my power converters, they're failing,"

"Just stay with me, Axe." The commander's voice wavered.

I knew she depended on me to get through this battle. I didn't want to let her down. I won't let her down.

I worked with the controls as much as I could, transferring auxiliary power over to the main system, trying to reboot everything and fix the converters. But it was too late. More warning systems started flashing, and the engine control went ballistic, showing me that it was overheating. That it was too late.

"Overload, overload," I shouted, allowing panic to seep through. I couldn't help it. Even though I've grown accustomed to death, it was still a new concept. It's definitely not one you can practice with yourself until you grew accustomed to it. Shab, I didn't want to die. Not today. But it was too late.

I didn't feel anything as the heat in the cockpit turned to fire as the ship exploded. I didn't feel the vacuum of space carry the pieces of my starship into one of the pursuing droids. Didn't hear the Commander cry out. I only felt the strange peace that washed over me as blackness washed over my vision.

* * *

 ** ***I know that in the Clone Wars microseries, there was a Blue Squadron that was destroyed by Ventress. I'm taking into account that the squadron must've been reformed since then and fought in a few battles before being tasked to Ryloth.**  
**

 **As with the other story, I'm sorry that this took so long to update! I have been writing this for over the course of a couple months, and thes last few weeks really picked up with schoolwork. Hopefully, I can get more out soon, but they're taking TCW off of Netflix :/ However, I can watch them on kisscartoon, but not as frequently as I can't access it on the road. The Forbidden Secret Ch 3 should come out sometime this month- I've started writing it today.**

 **May the Force be with you, always**


End file.
